My new book on modernizing .NET applications is now available!

I might be the first person to write a technical book because of peer pressure. Let me back up.

I’m fortunate to be surrounded by smart folks at Pivotal. Many of them write books. We usually buy copies of them to give out at conferences. After one of conferences in May, my colleague Nima pointed out that folks wanted a book about .NET. He then pushed all the right buttons to motivate me.

So, I signed a contract with O’Reilly Media in June, started writing in July, and released the book yesterday.

Modernizing .NET Applications is a 100-page book that for now, is free from Pivotal. At some point soon, O’Reilly will put it on Safari (and other channels). So what’s in this book, before you part with your hard-earned email address?

Chapter 1 looks at why app modernization actually matters. I define “modernization” and give you a handful of reasons why you should do it. Chapter 2 offers an audit of what .NET software you’re running today, and why you’re motivated to upgrade it. Chapter 3 takes a quick look at the types of software your stakeholders are asking you to create now. Chapter 4 defines “cloud-native” and explains why you should care. I also define some key characteristics of cloud-native software and what “good” looks like.

Chapter 5 helps you decide between using the .NET Framework or .NET Core for your applications. Then in Chapter 6, I lay out the new anti-patterns for .NET software and what things you have to un-learn. Chapter 7 calls out some of the new components that you’ll want to introduce to your modernized .NET apps. Chapter 8 helps you decide where you should run your .NET apps, with an assessment of all the various public/private software abstractions to choose from. Chapter 9 digs into five specific recipes you should follow to modernize your apps. These include event storming, externalized configuration, remote session stores, token-based security schemes, and apps on pipelines. Finally, Chapter 10 leaves you with some next steps.

I’ve had the pleasure/pain of writing books before, and have held off doing it again since our tech information consumption patterns have changed. But, it seems like there’s still a hunger for long-form content, and I’m passionate about .NET developers. So, I invested in a topic I care about, and hopefully wrote a book in a way that you find enjoyable to read.